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Norfolk’s new Slover library aims to draw in new visitors with technology

Posted at 8:56 PM, Jan 08, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-08 20:56:57-05

Video games, a play area for little kids, 3D printers, and oh yeah, books! This is Norfolk's new library.

We've created one of the country’s most high-tech libraries at the new Slover Library.

The 65-million dollar facility consists of three connected buildings--each from a different century--all renovated into a state-of-the-art media center.

"You can produce and edit your own graphics, photography, video. We have a video production room where you can produce your own video with a green screen, something most people don't have access to at home. I can see high school kids doing their projects and building a video rather than traditional reports,” says David Sullivan, the Chief Information Officer.

One of the coolest features of the library is an I-Wall, which lets you look at thousands of photos from Hampton Roads history. You can tap on the photos, enlarge them, see other related photos, and even do searches on different areas across Hampton Roads.

They're scanned at very high resolution, much higher than you get on your home computer, so it's a real different experience here in the building than say at home on the internet.

There's a whole floor even dedicated to young children filled with books and activity rooms.

The library even has a level dedicated to teens and young adults, where people can come up, work on their homework and even play some videogames!

"I think we've always envisioned it as being a place that would draw people into the region. The combination of the old and the new is just not something you find in most places,” says Sullivan.

The library will open its doors to the public tomorrow morning at 10.